Lantern base support and lamp socket



1938. w. M. MoxLY 2,127,133

LANTERN BASE SUPPORT AND LAMP SOCKET Filed NOV. 4, 1937 Patented Aug.16, 1938 PATENT OFFICE LANTERN BASE SUPPORT AND' LAlVIP SOCKET WilliamM. Moxley, Kansas City, Mo.

Application November 4, 1937, Serial No. 172,817

2 Claims.

This invention relates to small portable electric lanterns of the typeadapted to be carried by a swinging bail but constructed to remainupright upon a table, floor or other support.

In my Patent 2,096,349, issued on October 19, 1937, I have disclosed awire base adapted to support the lantern in an upright position and withthe electric bulbs guarded against accidental contact with any objectwhich might bring about breakage of the same.

In my patent aforesaid, the legs constituting the support for thelantern are clipped to the metallic shell constituting the base by legcaps or plates, the legs of a pair being united by bowed portions, whichare clamped between the leg caps and the bottom of the lantern shellwhen the leg caps are riveted to said shell.

It is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improvedarrangement of parts whereby a single element may serve as the leg capfor both pairs of legs, and this same element may be caused to serve asthe socket for the light bulbs. By virtue of this new arrangement, I notonly simplify and greatly reduce the cost of manufacture of thelanterns, but I provide a structure that is stronger and more reliablethan those heretofore employed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view through the lower portion ofan electric lantern having the invention applied thereto;

Fig, 2 is a plan view of the bottom of the lantern shell;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the bottom of the lantern shell, and

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view upon line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Like numerals designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of thedrawing.

Referring to the drawing, 5 designates the main shell of the lantern,which is adapted to receive a dry cell battery, a portion of which isindicated at 6 and which serves to supply current to incandescent lampbulbs I. A cup-like lantern bottom 8 fits snugly upon the lower end ofthe shell 5 and may be fastened thereto by any suitable means, such forexample as screws 9. A depressed portion In of the bottom 8 is providedwith openings II for the passage of the electric bulbs I.

A leg clip plate I2 spans the bottom from end to end thereof, and itsopposite ends are enlarged as indicated at I2 and the outer ends ofthese enlarged end portions are preferably shaped to conform tothecurved contour of the end walls I3 of the bottom 8. A rectangular wireloop I 4 constitutes the ground engaging member, and the lantern issupported from th 5 loop by legs I5 It will be observed that there is apair of these legs at each end of the structure, and the upper ends ofthe legs of each pair are connected by an integral bowed loop IS. Theleg cap plate I2 is forcibly bound to the bottom 8 by the rivets I1, andthe act of applying these rivets clips the plate I2 forcibly upon thebowed portions I 6 of the legs and thus rigidly united these legs to thebottom 8 without the necessity of employing solder or any otherfastening means.

The plate I2 is provided with openings I8 which align with the openingsII, and these openings are so formed as to cause the plate I2 to,itself, constitute a socket for the electric bulbs and thus avoid thenecessity of using separate threaded sockets for the reception of thesebulbs. As is well known, the threads upon electric light bulbs are quitecoarse.

By referring to- Figs. 2 and 4, it will be seen that the openings I8 arenot exactly circular, but that at one point their walls extend outwardlya little beyond the circular and that at one side of this point, themetal is stamped upwardly as indicated at I8 and that upon the otherside of this point, the metal is stamped slightly downwardly asindivated at IB This brings about a slight difierence in levels of themetal upon opposite sides of the point X, and this is just enough topermit the relatively coarse threads of the light bulbs to be engaged,by a turning movement, with the walls of the openings I8, into whichsaid bulbs may then be screwed in the usual way.

Since the metal of which the member I2 is made is much stouter and morerigid than the relatively thin sheet metal from which the lantern bottom8 is made, it follows that the idea of engaging the lamp bulbs with theclip plate I2 gives them a much more substantial and reliable supportthan would be the case if the socket membars were attached to therelatively thin sheet metal of the lantern bottom as has been the customin other constructions.

It should be emphasized that this advantage is achieved by theutilization of the same member which serves as the leg clamping cap.Further, since the leg engaging portions of the plate I2 are all uponthe one member I2, it follows that the positioning of this member tomount it with respect to one pair of legs automatically positions itwith respect to the other pair of legs.

I wish it to be understood that the invention is not limited to theprecise construction set forth but that it includes within its purviewwhatever changes fairly come within either the terms or the spirit ofthe appended claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim 1. The combination with acup-like sheet metal lantern bottom, of a pair of legs projectingdownwardly from each end thereof, said legs being united by bowedportions above said bottom, and a clamp plate extending from end to endof said shell and overlying the bowed portions of said legs, and meansfor binding said plate forcibly against said bottom, the act of bindingthe one plate serving to automatically bind all of the legs, said platebeing provided with one or more openings circular throughout the majorportion of its circumference but enlarged beyond a true circle at onepoint and there having its material deflected out of the general planeof the plate to adapt said opening to receive a threaded lamp bulb andto cause said plate to constitute a socket for said lamp bulb.

2. An electric lantern comprising a shell, a web of sheet materialspanning the bottom of said shell and constituting a bottom for thesame, a pair of legs each comprising a horizontal bowed portion whichlies above said bottom, the legs passing from said bowed portiondownwardly through openings formed in said bottom, a clamp plate lyingabove said bottom, of a length to extend from one side of the shell tothe other and to overlie the bowed portions of the legs, binding meansfor drawing the end portions of the clamp plate forcibly toward thatportion of the bottom which overlies the bowed portions of the legs,said bottom being provided with an opening or openings of a size topermit the shanks of light bulbs to pass freely therethrough and theclamp plate being provided with a corresponding opening or openingsshaped to receive the usual threaded portions of said light bulbs as andfor the purposes set forth.

WILLIAM M. MO-XLEY.

